“The next Lee Seung-yeop? As the first Kim Seok-hwan… ” Unwelcome guest? What is a 30% hitter & super catcher for KIA?
“I just want to be the number one Kim Seok-hwan.”
KIA’s 24-year-old left-handed gun prospect Kim Seok-hwan. He said that the nickname ‘the second Lee Seung-yeop’ was not burdensome, but it was an honor. However, Kim Seok-hwan wants to be remembered as Kim Seok-hwan. He sweated hard at the Tucson spring camp in Arizona, USA, and started competing in left field in earnest at the Okinawa spring camp in Japan.
However, guests who are not very welcome to Kim Seok-hwan join Okinawa. According to KIA, the main characters are outfielders Ko Jong-wook and Lee Woo-sung, infielder Choi Jeong-yong, and pitcher Jang Hyun-sik. In particular, Koh Jong-wook and Lee Woo-seong are players who, like Kim Seok-hwan, need to appeal to the first team as corner outfielders.
In Tucson, the competition for the starting left fielder was Kim Seok-hwan and last year’s starting pitcher Lee Chang-jin. A 2v1 duel turns into a 4v1 in Okinawa. Of course, this is a scenario planned in advance by director Kim Jong-guk. Coach Kim plans to conclude the competition in the demonstration game after setting the big frame for the left field competition through five actual matches to be played in Okinawa.
Last year, they practically competed as the main left fielder. And Lee Chang-jin became the final winner. But you never know who will survive the left corner this season. Ko Jong-wook’s strength is his ability to make contact, as shown by his career batting average of 0.303. Instead, the defensive power is low, so it is a bit burdensome as a full-time starter. 스포츠토토
Lee Woo-sung posted a batting average of 0.292 with 1 home run and 12 RBIs in 80 games last year. He’s likely to hit hard based on big hardware, but he’s batting .230 with 11 home runs for his career. Rather, he showed more decent appearances on defense. He also saved the team from crisis with a decisive super catch in the left outfield late in the game. The Hanhwa exhibition in Gwangju on July 9 last year was representative.
For Kim Seok-hwan, Ko Jong-wook and Lee Woo-sung could be so-called ‘unwelcome guests’. However, for KIA, it is a ‘welcome guest’ in terms of strengthening depth and creating a healthy competitive culture. In the end, Kim Seok-hwan has to win with a long hit in the Okinawa practice game. He is the player who can hit the long hit the best among the four, and he can hit a lot. As much as KIA collects giant cannons from a macro perspective, it is in a position to somehow save Kim Seok-hwan.
However, Lee Chang-jin, the starting pitcher last year, showed that he could hit 30% with a form similar to that of KBSN commentator Kim Tae-gyun during his active career. Ko Jong-wook and Lee Woo-sung also cannot help but check. It is expected that the four main left field candidates for the KIA will engage in a fierce struggle in Okinawa. In order for Kim Seok-hwan to actually become the next Lee Seung-yeop, he must easily overcome this level of competition.
